Daily WHUFC News -11th August 2014

Macca on Monday
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald is backing the latest Academy graduates to make an impact this
season
10.08.2014

Neil McDonald believes West Ham United's latest batch of talented young
players could make an impact this season following their starring role in
Saturday's 3-2 Marathonbet Cup win against Sampdoria. 17-year-old Reece
Burke scored a late winner from an Elliot Lee cross, while Dan Potts'
forward exploits helped secure the penalty that Mark Noble converted to
bring the game back to one apiece. With the new Barclays Premier League
season starting with Tottenham Hotspur's visit to the Boleyn Ground in just
five days' time, McDonald believes the performances of the three Academy
youngsters will not only have given them a lift, but the rest of the squad
as well. "We've always produced good young players at this Club," McDonald
said. "We have a few good young players coming through and we'll blood them
whenever we can and we've seen the three that made a big impact on the game
on Saturday. "The first half was terrific even though we only had 14 players
to pick from. The young kids have been with us pre-season and it was nice
for them to get involved in the second half.
"In the first half we tried a different system and it worked really well
with lots of passing and lots of receiving it well and we did really well
with the tempo. Our final ball wasn't the best but aside from the goal we
conceded I thought the first half was excellent. "Second half, we changed
the system and grew into the game. We gave the ball away for the second
goal, which we'll need to improve on. We pushed on and drove on and Mo
Diame's goal was a fantastic individual goal. For the third Elliot Lee got
in behind and he picked out Reece Burke, who had carried on his run. "Elliot
showed a lot of composure to pick him out and let him finish the game off
and in the end I thought we thoroughly deserved to win the game."

Despite there being several first-team players missing through injury, Macca
was delighted with how the team passed and pressed the ball. He also brought
the welcome news that Aaron Cresswell's first-half withdrawal was only
precautionary, meaning he could join the young trio in the matchday squad
Spurs should they be selected. "I think the manner in which we tried to play
by passing and moving it, even in tight areas, was really good. The players
have been working hard in training and that is coming through really well.
"We've got to believe in ourselves that we're decent on the ball and it's
not just about free-kicks and corners. Our open play was excellent but we
know we can always improve and the chances we had we took very, very well.
"Our first pre-season victory will give us loads of confidence and put
everyone in a good mood for the first game against Spurs."

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Potts pleased with pre-season action
WHUFC.com
Dan Potts completed an impressive pre-season by helping West Ham United win
the Marathonbet Cup
10.08.2014

Dan Potts completed an impressive personal pre-season by helping West Ham
United win the Marathonbet Cup on Saturday. The 20-year-old left-back was
again to the fore as the Hammers twice came from behind to beat Italian
Serie A side UC Sampdoria 3-2 at the Boleyn Ground. Technically-gifted,
committed and adding physical strength as he gets older, Potts added to his
eye-catching displays in New Zealand and Germany after replacing the injured
Aaron Cresswell on the half-hour mark. Having helped the Hammers record
their first win of the pre-season inside 90 minutes courtesy of fellow
Academy graduate Reece Burke's last-gasp winner, Potts now has his eyes set
on featuring in the Barclays Premier League opener at home to Tottenham
Hotspur next weekend.
"I loved it," said the No27. "Obviously it's the only home game we've got in
pre-season and I started on the bench, but Cressy picked up a knock and I
got my chance and I really enjoyed it. "I was on and then seeing Elliot Lee
and Reece come on late on and not do themselves any harm either by combining
for the winner, it was good for the Academy. More importantly, it was good
to round-off the pre-season with a win. "There have been little things about
us having a 'winless pre-season up til now' and things like that, but
pre-season isn't really about results. It's more about getting the fitness
work in. We all love to win, though, and it was good to come off on the
winning team."

Nearly three years after making his first-team debut in a Championship
fixture with Barnsley, Potts signed a new contract in the summer and is now
hoping to make his mark regularly at first-team level. "It's coming up to
three years now since my debut and I'm lucky to have got a few sniffs in the
first team in this pre-season and hopefully I've done myself no harm," he
observed. "Now, pre-season is over and I want to push on even further. "The
Premier League is where I want to play and, leading up to Tottenham,
hopefully I can be in and around it next week and push on from there. "I
obviously wish Cressy well and hope it's not a bad injury, but I'd love to
be in the squad next Saturday and even better on the pitch. I'll take each
day as it comes."

While there has never been any doubt about Potts' technical ability, he has
added a noticeable physical edge to his game. The defender, who suffered two
concussions in accidental collisions at Southend United and Arsenal in
recent seasons, has consciously decided to toughen up his game. "You've got
to give as much as you can and the fans here love to see it," he confirmed.
"These are friendly matches, but when we went out to New Zealand they were
kicking us up in the air and I think you've got to give it some yourself.
You need to show your opponents they are in a game. "It prepares you for the
season ahead, because the Premier League is a physical league as much as it
is a tactical and technical league. It's all part of the game."

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West Ham's Dan Potts hopes to play a part against Tottenham
Last Updated: 10/08/14 4:25pm
SSN

Young West Ham left-back Dan Potts hopes an impressive pre-season campaign
will earn him a regular place in Sam Allardyce's first-team squad. The
20-year-old performed well for the Hammers in New Zealand and Germany, and
then came on to replace the injured Aaron Cresswell after half an hour of
Saturday's entertaining 3-2 win over Sampdoria. "I loved it," Potts told the
West Ham website. "Obviously, it's the only home game we've got in
pre-season, and I started on the bench, but Cressy picked up a knock and I
got my chance, and I really enjoyed it. "I was on and then Elliot Lee and
Reece (Burke, who scored the winner) came on late and did not do themselves
any harm either by combining for the winner, so it was good for the Academy.
"More importantly, it was good to round off the pre-season with a win.
"There have been little things about us having a 'winless pre-season up
until now' and things like that, but pre-season isn't really about results.
"It's more about getting the fitness work in. We all love to win though, and
it was good to come off on the winning team."

Having signed a new contract in the summer, Potts is targeting a regular
place in the first-team squad. "It's coming up to three years now since my
debut," he said. "I'm lucky to have got a few sniffs in the first team in
this pre-season and hopefully I've done myself no harm. "Now, pre-season is
over, and I want to push on even further. "The Premier League is where I
want to play and, leading up to Tottenham (who West Ham host in their
opener), hopefully I can be in and around it next week, and push on from
there. "I obviously wish Cressy well and hope it's not a bad injury, but I'd
love to be in the squad next Saturday and, even better, on the pitch. I'll
take each day as it comes."

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FOOTBALL CHANGES LIVES - A MESSAGE TO RAVEL MORRISON
By Iain Dale 10 Aug 2014 at 20:39
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by Iron Liddy

If I asked you who England's most capped player is no doubt most of you
would say Peter Shilton. In fact it is this 30 year old footballer, Fara
Williams, who earlier this month broke Rachel Yankey's record of 129 caps by
gaining her 130th cap for England. Peter Shilton holds the male record at
125 appearances.

This is a remarkable achievement but what's even more remarkable is that
Fara Williams was homeless for 6 years during the early part of her football
career, living rough and in hostels. Here the central midfielder for Women's
Super League club Liverpool Ladies, who is also employed by The FA as a
Skills Coach, explains how it was football that gave her the motivation to
turn her life around Football Changes Lives.

Her experiences have led her to work with the Homeless FA where she now
coaches homeless girls and women every week; trying to inspire them to use
football as their motivation to try to change their circumstances.

The reason I wrote this article is not to 'big up' women's football,
although there's no denying that it gives me a certain sense of respect and
pride that it is a woman who holds the record number of England caps. I
wrote it in the hope that a certain Ravel Morrison might drop by and read
the success story of a young footballer from a disadvantaged background
using the beautiful game as their motivation to change their life for the
better. Fara's achievements are something to aspire to Ravel and you can do
it if you want it badly enough.

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SHOULD WE SELL MATT JARVIS?
By Iain Dale 10 Aug 2014 at 16:25
West Ham Till I Die

Matt Jarvis arrived two years ago to much fanfare, but since then he has
struggled to justify his £10 million fee. There's no doubt that he gets the
crosses in. For two years now I think he has achieved the highest number of
crosses of any Premier League player. But to what effect? How many assists
does he actually get, let alone goals. He's one of those players who seems
to have it all, yet doesn't quite deliver. He has the beating of his man,
but too often he cuts in to cross the ball on his other foot. Stewart
Downing is the same.

Today we hear that West Bromwich Albion are looking to take Matt Jarvis off
our hands. I have mixed feelings. Part of me likes Jarvis and would like to
give him another chance, but if we sign Amalfitano we'll have a surfeit of
wide players and maybe selling Jarvis would enable us to buy a better
striker.

The trouble is I can't see us getting anywhere near the £10 million we paid
for Jarvis. Indeed, I wonder whether we'd get much more than half that.

Should we keep Jarvis or sell him?

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WHY I FEAR FOR THE FUTURE
By Iain Dale 10 Aug 2014 at 12:24
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by A P Clarke

OK before I start on the negatives and the reasons why, let me start with
the positives. We started September 2011 in the championship having been
relegated. We looked for some idea of how to get back and although most of
us were surprised, Sam Alladyce was called on to be our manager. He was
given a simple task : get us back into the Premier League. To do this he
turned to those players who would play as he asked, and we, just, got back
into the Premier League. He was then asked to keep us there, he did and this
is where we start the 2014-2015 campaign.

The problems

Sam has been a footballing manager for about 20 years, and has created a
style that works when he has players who are do as they are told. Those
players are work-horses without much talent, but will run all day for him.
We have seen these players arrive at our club.

He clearly does not know what to do with players who have talent and flair,
they do not play his style! If you look back to last season and see the
players in our first team, you will notice many players played out of
position, others in systems where they were clearly not comfortable. They
plodded up and down the pitch and the other teams just played around them.

The future and the fear

I am excited by the new batch of players we have for this season, they seem
to play exciting football, but does Sam know what to do with them? I think
not. I fear that he will start the season by playing in the same old style
and we will get beaten. He will then bow to pressure and try maybe two up
front, include players coming up through the ranks, etc. As this is not his
way, he will expect defeat, get it, and blame the players, fans, but not
himself for not having the ability to adapt. The youngsters who play will
have their confidence destroyed again, as they did against Nottingham Forest
last season. Players with talent will no longer want to play for us and we
will end up with a team of talentless work-horses. When Sam then leaves, any
new manager gets these players to try and play football and as they lack the
skill, relegation occurs. Look at Blackburn Rovers and Bolton, (Newcastle
got rid of him before he did too much damage).

Our academy players will look at the future, see Sam and think, where shall
I go, City or United?

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West Brom chasing Matt Jarvis as boss Alan Irvine eyes cut-price deal
Aug 10, 2014 11:11 By Tom Hopkinson
Despite making a big money switch to the Hammers two years ago the former
Wolves man is surplus to requirements and is up for sale
The Mirror

West Brom boss Alan Irvine is chasing West Ham winger Matt Jarvis, writes
Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People. Jarvis joined the Hammers two years ago
for £7.5million after turning in a string of impressive displays in a
five-year spell at Wolves. But he has not achieved the heights the club
hoped he would.
Over two seasons Jarvis made 57 appearances, managing just four goals. Last
season a big number of his appearances came off the bench and the Hammers
are ready to take a hit on the transfer fee to shift him off the wage bill.

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Daniel Agger on Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham radars as he seeks move
Aug 09, 2014 22:30 By Mirror Football
Danish defender feels he needs regular first-team football than the Kop club
can offer after buying Dejan Lovren and that could lead to a switch to
London
The Mirror

Daniel Agger's future is being monitored by THREE London clubs after making
it clear to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers that he wants to leave. The
Denmark international feels he needs regular first-team football and that
those chances will be further limited at the Reds following the arrival of
Dejan Lovren from Southampton. West Ham are believed to be interested as he
would be in their price range at about £10 million, while Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger needs a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen, who is joining
Barcelona. Tottenham will also be keen if they fail in their attempt to sign
Mateo Musacchio from Villarreal.

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West Brom turn to West Ham winger Matt Jarvis after being told to double £4m
bid for Parma's Jonathan Biabiany
Hammers have agreed a fee for Morgan Amalfitano who spent last season on
loan at the Hawthorns
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:42, 10 August 2014 | UPDATED: 22:42, 10 August 2014
Daily Mail

West Bromich Albion are interested in West Ham winger Matt Jarvis. The
Baggies have been told to increase their £4million bid for Parma winger
Jonathan Biabiany to £8m but are looking for alternatives more suited to
their price range. Jarvis has struggled to recapture the form he showed at
Wolves and West Ham will listen to offers. Meanwhile, the Hammers have
agreed a fee with Marseille for midfielder Morgan Amalfitano. The France
midfielder, on loan at West Brom last season, is available for £2million.
The 29-year-old has attracted interest from Hull, Crystal Palace and QPR.
West Ham are prioritising their search for a striker and are speaking to
Stoke about Peter Crouch while Connor Wickham of Sunderland, free agent Hugo
Almeida, Metz striker Diafra Sakho and Joel Campbell of Arsenal remain on
their list.

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Ravel Morrison wanted by Cardiff City even though he is facing assault
charges
Cardiff are willing to double Ravel Morrison's West Ham wages to take him to
Wales – despite the midfielder still having a court case hanging over him
Ravel Morrison at Manchester Magistrates Court where he faces two counts of
common assault
By Matt Law, Football News Correspondent4:01PM BST 10 Aug 2014
Telegraph.co.uk

Cardiff are willing to double Ravel Morrison's West Ham wages to take him to
Wales – despite the midfielder still having a court case hanging over his
head.
Morrison will appear at Manchester Crown Court on August 28 after being
charged with two counts of common assault, against his ex-girlfriend and her
mother, and harassment. While waiting for his court appearance, Morrison is
training with West Ham and can still play for the club if selected. Co-owner
David Sullivan has been a big supporter of Morrison and had been due to open
new contract talks with the 21-year-old before the allegations were made
against him.
There could still be a new West Ham deal offered to Morrison, but Cardiff
have moved to try to capitalise on the uncertainty by once again showing an
interest in signing him. Cardiff made an enquiry about Morrison in January
and are ready to try to tempt West Ham into selling the England Under-21
international with a £3million bid. Morrison currently earns around
£15,000-a-week at Upton Park, but Cardiff are willing to double his wages to
£30,000-a-week to try to convince him to drop down to the Championship. It
is unclear whether or not West Ham will consider cashing in on Morrison,
particularly before his court case has been concluded. The board have been
at odds with manager Sam Allardyce over the youngster's role in the squad
and his future. Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows Morrison and his
massive potential well, having worked with the player during his time in
charge of Manchester United reserves.
Morrison last season spent three months on loan at Queens Park Rangers in
the Championship and scored six goals in 15 League appearances. As part of
Morrison's bail conditions, he cannot contact the complainants, enter the
street where they live or enter Manchester unless to attend a court or a
legal appointment.

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Irons hopeful on midfielder
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 10, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are still hopeful they can clinch a deal for Marseilles midfielder
Morgan Amalfitano. The Irons have been in talks with the player for several
days and remain hopeful they can seal a deal early this week. The France
midfielder, on loan at West Brom last season, is available for £2million.
The 29-year-old has attracted interest from Hull, Crystal Palace and QPR but
the Hammers are currently in the driving seat and trying to agree personal
terms with the player.
A source told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "It's not done but we are still
talking so we remain hopeful. "There's no point in quoting odds for or
against – things can take you by surprise but it's certainly still alive."

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WBA and Iron Jarvis: The laughable truth
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 10, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham have laughed off reported West Bromwich Albion interest in Matt
Jarvis. National newspaper reports suggest today that the Baggies are ready
to make a £4 million move for the Irons winger. But ClaretandHugh can reveal
the West midlands outfit only want the player on a season-long loan. The £9
million signing from Albion's deadly Black Country rivals Wolves had an
indifferent season at Upton Park last season and manager Alan Irvine was
reported as being interested in trying to sign the player. But tonight a top
Hammers insider made it clear to ClaretandHugh that the Baggies are only
interested in doing a loan deal He told us exclusively: "There is no
interest from West Brom in taking Matt Jarvis in a permanent deal. They
have been trying to loan him all summer. "Why on earth they think we'll
loan a player that cost us £9.5m and is our first choice left winger I do
not know. He's looked good in pre-season"

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